Mode matched Y-junction

ABSTRACT

A mode-matched waveguide Y-junction with balanced or unbalanced splitting comprises an input waveguide, expanding from an input end to an output end, for expanding the input beam of light along a longitudinal axis; first and second output waveguides extending from the output end of the input waveguide separated by a gap. Ideally, each of the first and second output waveguides includes an initial section capable of supporting a fundamental super mode, and having an inner wall substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, and a mode splitting section extending from the initial section at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a waveguide Y-junction, and inparticular to a mode-matched waveguide Y-junction with balanced orunbalanced splitting.

BACKGROUND

With reference to FIGS. 1a, 1b and 1c , a junction section (JS) 4 of aconventional semiconductor waveguide Y-junction splitter 1 receives aninput beam at an input port 2 for transmission to an input waveguide 3,and splits the input beam into two output beams onto two outputwaveguides 6 and 7 for output to two output ports 8 and 9, respectively.Typically, the input port 2 and the output ports 8 and 9 are opticallycoupled to external waveguides (not shown) for transmitting the opticalbeams to and from the Y-junction splitter 1. A good Y-junction splitteris characterized by low insertion loss (IL), i.e. the amount of powerlost through the Y-junction splitter that does not go to the outputwaveguides 8 and 9; low return loss (RL), the amount of light reflectedby the JS 4; and good split ratio, e.g. a balanced Y-junction splitsevenly 50:50, not 51:49.

One problem that arises, especially with a high-index contrast platform,such as Si/SiO2 or SiN/SiO2, is that there can be an abrupt change inmode profile between the optical mode guided just before the JS 4 andthe optical mode just after the JS 4. The abrupt change results inexciting multiple modes past the JS 4, such as high order guided modesor radiation modes. These parasitic modes can lead to high IL or RL.

Another problem arises with the design of unbalanced Y-junctionssplitters. Although balanced Y-junction splitters are intuitivelydesigned by symmetry, designing an unbalanced Y-junction splitter withan arbitrary split ratio is non-trivial; especially when low IL isrequired.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings ofthe prior art by providing a more efficient Y-junction waveguidesplitter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a semiconductor waveguideY-splitter comprising: an input port for launching an input beam oflight; an input waveguide including a longitudinal axis, capable ofproviding adiabatic expansion of the input beam of light from the inputport to an output end, which has a width that supports a fundamentalmode and a second order mode; first and second output waveguidesextending from the output end of the input waveguide on either side ofthe longitudinal axis and separated by a gap, wherein each of the firstand second output waveguides includes an initial section having an innerwall, defining the gap, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis,and wherein the initial sections and the gap are capable of supporting asuper mode of the incoming beam of light, which spans the first andsecond output waveguides and the gap; and a mode-matching junctionbetween the input waveguide and the first and second output waveguidesfor splitting the input beam of light, capable of propagating thefundamental mode of the incoming light to a fundamental super mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings which represent preferred embodiments thereof,wherein:

FIG. 1a is a schematic plan view of a junction split section of aconventional Y-junction splitter.

FIG. 1b is a cross-sectional view of the input waveguide of theY-junction splitter of FIG. 1a illustrating light intensity.

FIG. 1c is a cross-sectional view of the input waveguide of theY-junction splitter of FIG. 1a at the junction split illustrating lightintensity.

FIG. 2a is a schematic plan view of a junction split section of aY-junction splitter in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2b is a cross-sectional view of the input waveguide of theY-junction splitter of FIG. 2a illustrating light intensity.

FIG. 2c is a cross-sectional view of the input waveguide of theY-junction splitter of FIG. 2a at the junction split sectionillustrating light intensity.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a Y-junction splitter in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a Y-junction splitter in accordancewith another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the input waveguide of theY-junction splitter of FIG. 4 at the junction split illustrating lightintensity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the present teachings are described in conjunction with variousembodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teachingsbe limited to such embodiments. On the contrary, the present teachingsencompass various alternatives and equivalents, as will be appreciatedby those of skill in the art.

With reference to FIGS. 2a, 2b, 2c and 3, a mode-matched semiconductorwaveguide Y-junction splitter 11 includes a junction split section 14,which receives an input beam at an input port 12 for transmission to aninput waveguide 13, and splits the input beam into two output beams ontotwo output waveguides 16 and 17 for output to two output ports 18 and19, respectively. The input port 12 may be along a longitudinal axis 15of the Y junction splitter 11, which may divide the input waveguide 13into two symmetrical halves, and provide an axis of symmetry for the twooutput waveguides 16 and 17.

Ideally, the Y-junction splitter 11 may be comprised of a silicon oninsulator (SOI) waveguide, including a high index silicon coresandwiched between upper and lower cladding layers, comprised of lowerindex silica; however, other forms and semiconductor materials, e.g.,high index cores with refractive indexes between 3 and 4, such as SiN orother Group III/V materials, sandwiched between lower index upper andlower cladding layers with refractive indexes between 1 and 2, such asnitride or other Group III/V materials, are within the scope of theinvention. Typically, the input port 12 and the output ports 18 and 19are optically coupled to external waveguides (not shown) fortransmitting the optical beams to and from the Y-junction 11.

The input waveguide 13 expands the input beam of light adiabaticallyfrom an input end to an output end, whereby the width of the output endof the input waveguide 13 supports two guided modes (see FIG. 2b ),e.g., the fundamental mode TE0 (or TM0 depending on polarization) andthe second order mode TE1 (or TM1 depending on polarization). There isno need to expand the input waveguide 13 to a width that would supportmore than two guided modes unless one seeks splitting in more than twooutput waveguides 16 and 17. The expansion is smooth and long enough,such that light remains in the TE0 mode (a.k.a. adiabatic taper) despitethe presence of the second order mode.

At the JS 14, a super or hybrid mode is supported, which is defined byan arrangement of waveguides that are in close proximity, such that theyshare the same optical mode. Ideally, the geometry of the super mode, tothe right of the JS 14, is optimized to achieve maximal overlap integralwith the incoming mode of the input waveguide 13 just left to the JS 14in order to define a mode-matched junction. (see FIG. 2c ) A gap 21between the first and second output waveguides 16 and 17 on theright-hand side of the JS 14 is typically chosen to be as small as thefabrication process allows, e.g. less than 500 nm, ideally between 50 nmand 300 nm. The gap 21 may be larger if coupling from another mode,other than the fundamental mode, is desirable. An important aspect isthat the geometry of the super mode should be selected such that itmaximizes the overlap integral between the incoming mode (left of JS 14)and the super mode (right of the JS 14). With reference to FIG. 2c , theillustrated super mode extends across the gap 21 and into both the firstand second output waveguides 16 and 17 on either side thereof, incontrast to FIG. 1c , which illustrates two distinct modes in theconventional Y-junction splitter.

Accordingly, at the JS 14 the incoming mode, e.g. TE0, is on the leftside and the goal is to engineer the dimensions, e.g. widths of the gap21 and the initial sections of the output waveguides 16 and 17, suchthat the incoming TE0 mode excites, as much as possible, the new TE0super mode supported by the input waveguides 16 and 17. Accordingly, theoverall insertion loss of the splitter 11 is kept low by selecting ageometry at the JS 14, such that almost all of the incoming light, e.g.,TE0 mode, propagates to the super TE0 mode. This is achieved by firstselecting a width of the gap 21 that is as small as possible, e.g., lessthan 500 nm, ideally between 50 nm and 300 nm, in order to have thesuper mode fully supported by the initial sections of the inputwaveguides 16 and 17. Then the widths of at least the initial sections,e.g., up to the entire length, of the output waveguides 16 and 17, arevaried while tracking the overlap integral between the incoming TE0 modeat the JS 14 and the super TE0 after the JS 14. Mode matching isachieved when the overlap between these two modes is maximized,resulting in a discontinuity between the input waveguide 13 and theinitial sections of the output waveguides 16 and 17 that can lookcounter-intuitive.

Therefore, past the JS 14 in the initial sections of the outputwaveguides 16 and 17 most of the light is still confined in the superTE0 mode. When it is in this state it is easy to move the spatial powerdistribution of the mode by changing the size of the output waveguides16 and 17. The gap 21 is not increased at least in the initial sectionin order to maintain the hybridization of the modes, i.e., the initialsections of the output waveguides 16 and 17 are close enough togethersuch that, from the optical stand point, they form a single waveguide.

The mode-matching structure of the JS 14 between the input waveguide 13,and the first and second output waveguides 16 and 17 is provided inorder to achieve mode matching between the expanded single mode beam atthe output of the input waveguide 13, and the super mode at the input ofthe first and second output waveguides 16 and 17.

Typically, the outer edge of a Y-junction is a smooth curve; however, inthe illustrated example, the width of the input waveguide 13 is widerthan the combined widths of the first and second output waveguides 16and 17 and the gap 21, resulting in a discontinuity in the form ofstepped shoulders at the JS 14 on opposite sides thereof adjacent thefirst and second output waveguides 16 and 17, each shoulder including asurface perpendicular to the direction of light propagation. An addedadvantage of a junction geometry that accomplishes mode matching is theresilience to fabrication processes that its stable maxima brings (e.g.,deviation from the optimal geometry will result in added loss due tomode mismatch, but the added loss will be small around the maximapoint.) In an exemplary embodiment, the input waveguide 13 may be 2700nm wide, while the first and second output waveguides 16 and 17 may be675 nm wide with a 300 nm gap therebetween, leaving a 525 nm shoulder,e.g., a surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 15 adjacent outersides of the output waveguides 16 and 17, providing the discontinuity.The shoulder may be wider than the gap 21, but not as wide as the outputwaveguides 16 and 17. The width at the output end of the input waveguide13 is about twice as wide as the combined width of the first and secondoutput waveguides 16 and 17.

In an alternative embodiment, the mode-matching JS 14 includes asubwavelength gratings in the gap 21 alternative to or in combinationwith the aforementioned discontinuity. Utilizing a high resolutionprocess, such as electron beam lithography, the subwavelength structures(metamaterial) can be provided to have a very fine grating (˜10× smallerthan the effective wavelength guided in the input waveguide 13) Thiseffectively increases the effective index of the gap 21, which helpsachieve mode matching to the incoming waveguide 13. Such a variationwould reduce the height of the shoulder width, which could increase thewidths of the output waveguides to approach the full width of the inputwaveguide 13. The subwavelength gratings could start with a high fillratio in the gap 21 (more high index material than low in a given periodof the grating) and adiabatically taper to a low fill ratio (more lowindex material than high) at the limit of which a full gap would openbetween the two output waveguides 16, 17.

Another variation includes splitting the input beam into a plurality,e.g., more than two, output waveguides; whereby the same mode matchingtechnique may be employed at the JS 14.

With reference to FIG. 3, the Y-junction splitter 11 of the presentinvention comprises the input port 12 optically coupled to an inputwaveguide 13, which gradually expands from an input end proximate theinput port 12 to the junction split section 14 at an output end. Theinput waveguide 13 expands linearly or exponentially with a graduallydecreasing slope. However, any other smooth taper shape may be usedprovided that it is long enough to allow adiabatic mode expansion. Theexpansion is by at least a factor of 2 or between 1.5 and 2.5, e.g.,from a 1.2 μm input end to a 2.7 μm output end. An input beam of lightis launched via the input port 12 from an external source, andpropagates into the input waveguide 13 to the junction split (JS)section 14 along a longitudinal axis 15 and in the direction ofpropagation, and expands adiabatically to the output end of the inputwaveguide 13. The input port 12 may be along the longitudinal axis 15 ofthe Y junction splitter 11, which may divide the input waveguide 13 intotwo symmetrical halves, and may provide an axis of symmetry for theentire Y-junction splitter 11.

The width of the input waveguide port 12 is preferably narrow enough toprovide propagation of only a single mode of the input beam. The widthof the input waveguide 13 expands providing adiabatic expansion in thecore region to a width that supports two guided modes, e.g., thefundamental mode TE0 (or TM0 depending on polarization) and the secondorder mode TE1 (or TM1 depending on polarization). There is no need toexpand the input waveguide 13 to a width that would support more thantwo guided modes unless one seeks splitting in more than two outputwaveguides 16 and 17. The expansion is smooth and long enough, such thatlight remains in the TE0 mode (a.k.a. adiabatic taper) despite thepresence of the second order mode.

First and second output waveguides 16 and 17, respectively, extend fromthe output end of the input waveguide 13 with a gap 21 therebetween,symmetrical about the longitudinal axis 15, for receiving first andsecond portions of the input beam according to a desired splittingratio, e.g., 50/50, and for outputting the first and second portions tooutput ports 18 and 19, respectively.

As above, the structure of the mode-matching JS 14 provides that thewidth of the input waveguide 13 is wider than the combined widths of thefirst and second output waveguides 16 and 17 and the gap 21, resultingin a mode-matching discontinuity, e.g., a stepped shoulders at the JS 14on opposite sides thereof adjacent the first and second outputwaveguides 16 and 17, each shoulder including a surface perpendicular tothe direction of light propagation 15. The shoulder may be wider thanthe gap 21, but may not as wide as the output waveguides 16 and 17. Thewidth at the output end of the input waveguide 13 is about twice as wideas the combined width of the first and second output waveguides 16 and17.

Each of the first and second output waveguides 16 and 17 are dividedinto plurality of sections 36 a to 36 d and 37 a to 37 d, respectively.Initial sections 36 a and 37 a may be straight sections parallel to thelongitudinal axis 15 with a constant gap width, e.g., between 50 nm to500 nm, but ideally less than 300 nm, therebetween, and each preferablyhaving a constant width, e.g., 100 nm to 300 nm for Si/SiO₂ or 500 nm to800 nm for SiN/SiO₂, enabling the input mode to stably transform into asuper mode. The length of the initial sections 36 a and 37 a aretypically less than or equal to one half the length of the inputwaveguide region 13 or in absolute terms preferably greater than 1 μm,preferably less than 20 μm, and preferably between 5 μm and 10 μm.

Accordingly, at the JS 14 the incoming mode, e.g., TE0, is on the leftside and the goal is now to engineer the dimensions, e.g., gap andwaveguide widths, of the initial sections of the output waveguides 36 aand 37 a, such that the incoming TE0 mode excites, as much as possible,the new TE0 super mode supported by the initial sections 36 a and 37 a.Accordingly, the overall insertion loss of the Y-junction splitter 11 iskept low by selecting a geometry at the JS 14, such that almost all ofthe incoming light, e.g., TE0 mode, propagates to the super TE0 mode.This is achieved by first selecting a width of the gap 21 that is assmall as possible, e.g., 50 nm to 300 nm, in order to have the supermode fully supported by the initial sections 36 a and 37 a. Then thewidths of the initial sections 36 a and 37 a are varied while trackingthe overlap integral between the incoming TE0 mode and the super TE0mode. Mode matching is achieved when the overlap between these two modesis maximized, resulting in a discontinuity between the input waveguide13 and the initial sections 36 a and 37 a of the output waveguides 16and 17, respectively, that can look counter-intuitive.

Therefore, past the JS 14 in the initial sections 36 a and 37 a most ofthe light is still confined in the super TE0 mode. When it is in thisstate it is easy to move the spatial power distribution of the mode bytapering the size of the initial sections 36 a and 37 a. The gap 21 isnot increased in the initial sections 36 a and 37 a in order to maintainthe hybridization of the modes, i.e., the initial sections 36 a and 37 aof the output waveguides 16 and 17 are close enough together such that,from the optical stand point, they form a single waveguide.

Once the light is in the super mode, past the JS 14, a V-splitter isused to split the mode into the two mode splitting sections 36 b and 37b. The best way of achieving this is using a V-shaped split, in contrastto a typical s-bend. The V-splitter shape constantly separates the twomode splitting sections 36 b and 37 b at an acute angle, e.g., 3° to15°, from the longitudinal axis 35, and linearly decouples the outputwaveguides 36 and 37, which is found to be simpler and more efficientthan an otherwise S-bend. Furthermore, the S-bend may result in highorder mode coupling, if the bend radius is not large enough; which isavoided using a V-splitter.

Final expansion sections 36 c and 37 c gradually, e.g., linearly, expandthe first and second output waveguides 16 and 17, respectively, by afactor of approximately 1.3 to 2, e.g., from 500 nm to 800 nm to 700 μmto 1.6 μm. Ideally, the inner walls of the final expansion sections 36 cand 37 c extend coplanar, and are separated by the same angle as themode splitting sections 36 b and 37 b; however, any structure is withinthe scope of the invention. Final expansion sections 36 c and 37 c areused in the V-splitter, once the gap between the input and outputwaveguide arms 16 and 17 is sufficiently large, such that it avoidshaving mode overlap.

Bend sections 36 d and 37 d redirect the ends of the first and secondoutput waveguides 16 and 17, respectively, to be back parallel with thelongitudinal axis 15, and at the same width as the end of the tapersections 36 c and 37 c. At the output ports 18 and 19 of the Y-junction11, the output waveguides 16 and 17 are back to the initial width, e.g.,for single mode propagation, so that the input and output ports 12, 18and 19 have the same widths, e.g., the best waveguide width for low losspropagation.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, another embodiment of the Y-junctionsplitter 41 of the present invention comprises an input port 42optically coupled to an input waveguide 43, which gradually expands froman input end proximate the input port 42 to a junction split section 44at an output end. The input waveguide 43 expands linearly orexponentially with a gradually decreasing slope. The expansion is by atleast a factor of 2 or between 1.5 and 2.5, e.g., from a 1.2 μm inputend to a 2.7 μm output end. An input beam of light is launched via theinput port 42 from an external source, and propagates into the inputwaveguide 43 to the junction split (JS) section 44 along a longitudinalaxis 45 and in the direction of propagation, and expands adiabaticallyto the output end of the input waveguide 43. First and second outputwaveguides 46 and 47, respectively, extend from the output end of theinput waveguide 43 for receiving first and second portions of the inputbeam according to a desired unbalanced splitting ratio, e.g., 25/75, andfor outputting the first and second portions to output ports 49 a and 49b, respectively.

As above, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the structure of themode-matching JS 41 provides that the width of the input waveguide 43 iswider than the combined widths of the first and second output waveguides46 and 47 and the gap 48, resulting in a mode-matching discontinuity,e.g., stepped shoulders at the JS 44 on opposite sides thereof adjacentthe first and second output waveguides 46 and 47, each shoulderincluding a surface perpendicular to the direction of light propagation45. The shoulder may be wider than the gap, but not as wide as theoutput waveguides 46 and 47. The width at the output end of the inputwaveguide 43 is about twice as wide as the combined width of the firstand second output waveguides 46 and 47.

In an alternative embodiment, the mode-matching JS 44 may include asubwavelength gratings in the gap 48 alternative to or in combinationwith the aforementioned discontinuity, as hereinbefore disclosed withreference to the JS 14.

Each of the first and second output waveguides 46 and 47 are dividedinto a plurality of sections 46 a to 46 d and 47 a to 47 d,respectively. Initial sections 46 a and 47 a form an unbalanced region,as section 46 a comprises a straight sections parallel to thelongitudinal axis 45 with a constant width, e.g., 100 nm to 300 nm forSi/SiO₂ or 500 nm to 800 nm for SiN/SiO₂, while section 47 a comprisesan initial expansion section, linearly expanding from the JS 44 tosection 47 b. Ideally, the inner walls of the initial unbalancedsections 46 a and 47 a are separated by a constant gap width, e.g.,between 50 nm to 500 nm, but ideally less than 300 nm, while the outerwall of the initial section 47 b tapers away from the longitudinal axis45; however, other arrangements are within the scope of the invention.The length of the initial sections 46 a and 47 a are typically betweenone half to two times the length of the Y-junction core region 43 or inabsolute terms preferably at least 5 μm, preferably less than 20 μm, andpreferably between 5 μm and 10 μm.

In order to create the unbalanced Y-junction 41, an unbalanced region isused where light is confined in a hybrid mode or super mode. Theunbalanced region is defined as a region where the width of one of thejunction arms, i.e., 47 a, is tapered, i.e., expands. This breaks thesymmetry of the super mode adiabatically, which results in shifting thepower distribution towards one arm or another (See FIG. 5). Arbitrarysplitting ratios can be achieved by properly selecting the un-balancedregion's length and by tapering the symmetrical super mode to anasymmetrical with sought power distribution.

Once the light is in the super mode, past the JS 44, a V-splitter isused to split the mode into the two mode splitting sections 46 b and 47b. The V-splitter shape constantly separates the two mode splittingsections 46 b and 47 b at an acute angle, e.g., 3° to 15°, from thelongitudinal axis 45, and linearly decouples the output waveguides 46and 47, which is found to be simpler and more efficient than anotherwise S-bend. Furthermore, the S-bend may result in high order modecoupling, if the bend radius is not large enough; which is avoided usinga V-splitter. The V-splitter sections 46 b and 47 b have constant, butdifferent widths, e.g., 46 b is 500 nm to 800 nm wide, while 47 b is 700μm to 1.6 μm wide.

Final expansion section 46 c gradually, e.g., linearly, expands thefirst output waveguides 36 by a factor of approximately 1.3 to 2, e.g.,from 500 nm to 800 nm to 700 μm to 1.6 μm, to equal the expansionprovided by the initial expansion section 47 a. Ideally, the inner wallsof the final expansion sections 46 c and 47 c extend coplanar, and areseparated by the same angle as the mode splitting sections 46 b and 47b; however, any structure is within the scope of the invention. Finalexpansion sections 46 c and 47 c are used in the V-splitter, once thegap between the input and output waveguide arms 46 and 47 issufficiently large, such that it avoids having mode overlap.

Bend sections 46 d and 47 d redirect the ends of the first and secondoutput waveguides 46 and 47, respectively, to be back parallel with thelongitudinal axis 45, and at the same width as the end of the finalexpansion sections 46 c and 47 c.

Lithographic rounding at the interfaces may be included to provide asmooth transition between sections.

The foregoing description of one or more embodiments of the inventionhas been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. Itis not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to theprecise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of theinvention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by theclaims appended hereto.

I claim:
 1. A waveguide Y-splitter comprising: an input port forlaunching an input beam of light; an input waveguide including alongitudinal axis, capable of providing adiabatic expansion of the inputbeam of light from the input port to an output end, which has a widththat supports a fundamental mode and a second order mode; first andsecond output waveguides extending from the output end of the inputwaveguide on either side of the longitudinal axis and separated by agap, wherein each of the first and second output waveguides includes aninitial section having an inner wall, defining the gap, substantiallyparallel to the longitudinal axis, and wherein the initial sections andthe gap are capable of supporting a super mode of the incoming beam oflight, which spans the first and second output waveguides and the gap;and a mode-matching junction between the input waveguide and the firstand second output waveguides for splitting the input beam of light,capable of propagating the fundamental mode of the incoming light to afundamental super mode; wherein the initial section of the first outputwaveguide comprises a constant width; and wherein the initial section ofthe second output waveguide comprises a width expanding in order tocreate an imbalance in the power distribution at the output waveguides.2. The Y-splitter according to claim 1, wherein the width of the inputwaveguide expands adiabatically from a width supporting single modepropagation of the input beam of light to the output end.
 3. TheY-splitter according to claim 1, wherein the initial sections extend atleast 1 μm from the input waveguide at a constant width and a constantgap therebetween.
 4. The Y-splitter according to claim 1, wherein themode matching junction includes a discontinuity in the input waveguideto provide mode matching between the input waveguide and the first andsecond output waveguides.
 5. The Y-splitter according to claim 4,wherein the output end of the input waveguide is wider than a combinedwidth of the gap and the first and second output waveguides resulting inthe discontinuity.
 6. The Y-splitter according to claim 5, wherein thediscontinuity comprises shoulder surfaces perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis adjacent outer sides of the first and second outputwaveguides.
 7. The Y-splitter according to claim 6, wherein the shouldersurfaces are wider than the gap, and not as wide as the first outputwaveguide.
 8. The Y-splitter according to claim 6, wherein a width atthe output end of the input waveguide is about twice as wide as acombined width of the first and second output waveguides.
 9. TheY-splitter according to claim 4, wherein the mode-matching junctionfurther comprises a subwavelength grating in the gap.
 10. The Y-splitteraccording to claim 1, wherein the subwavelength grating start with ahigh fill ratio in the gap and adiabatically taper to a low fill ratio.11. A waveguide Y-splitter comprising: an input port for launching aninput beam of light; an input waveguide including a longitudinal axis,capable of providing adiabatic expansion of the input beam of light fromthe input port to an output end, which has a width that supports afundamental mode and a second order mode; first and second outputwaveguides extending from the output end of the input waveguide oneither side of the longitudinal axis and separated by a gap, whereineach of the first and second output waveguides includes an initialsection having an inner wall, defining the gap, substantially parallelto the longitudinal axis, and wherein the initial sections and the gapare capable of supporting a super mode of the incoming beam of light,which spans the first and second output waveguides and the gap; and amode-matching junction between the input waveguide and the first andsecond output waveguides for splitting the input beam of light, capableof propagating the fundamental mode of the incoming light to afundamental super mode; wherein the mode-matching junction furthercomprises a subwavelength grating in the gap.
 12. The Y-splitteraccording to claim 11, wherein the subwavelength grating start with ahigh fill ratio in the gap and adiabatically taper to a low fill ratio.13. The Y-splitter according to claim 1, wherein each of the first andsecond output waveguides also includes a mode splitting sectionextending from the initial section at an acute angle to the longitudinalaxis.
 14. The Y-splitter according to claim 13, wherein the acute angleis between 3° and 15°.
 15. The Y-splitter according to claim 1, whereineach of the first and second output waveguides further comprises anexpansion section extending from the mode splitting section, eachexpansion section expanding a width of each of the first and secondoutput waveguides.
 16. The Y-splitter according to claim 15, wherein aninner wall of each of the expansion sections is at the acute angle tothe longitudinal axis.
 17. The Y-splitter according to claim 11, whereinthe initial section of the first output waveguide comprises a constantwidth; and wherein the initial section of the second output waveguidecomprises a width expanding in order to create an imbalance in the powerdistribution at the output waveguides.
 18. The Y-splitter according toclaim 1, wherein the initial sections extend at least 5 μm from theinput waveguide with a constant gap therebetween.
 19. The Y-splitteraccording to claim 18, wherein the first output waveguide furthercomprises a final expansion section extending from the mode splittingsection, the final expansion section expanding a width of the firstoutput waveguide.
 20. The Y-splitter according to claim 19, wherein aninner wall of the final expansion section is at the acute angle to thelongitudinal axis.